My office is very near Ridgmar Mall in Fort Worth, and as it just so happens, so is Woody Creek Bar-B-Q. I've driven past it several times, but today was my first time inside.
When you walk in to Woody Creek, there is a short maze to get from the door to the counter for no apparent reason. Here, you'll find several American flags and other patriotic wall hangings, as well as painted cow skulls and neon beer signs. There is a full bar, assuming you need that sort of thing with your lunch. Oddly enough, they had 90's alternative rock blasting through the speakers. Although I enjoyed eating lunch to Collective Soul, it seemed a bit out of place here. They also have a small stage in one corner, so there must be live music from time to time.
I ordered up a 2 Meat Plate of hot links and bologna, with potato salad and baked beans on the side.
.JPG "Woody Creek Bar-B-Q - 2 Meat Plate")
The baked beans were sweet and a little spicy at the same time. They might have come from a can, but still tasted good nonetheless. I found a decent amount of pepper and spices, so maybe they just use the can for a base. I do wish there had been some bacon though. The potato salad looked like a big scoop of ice cream. It definitely needed some crunch to break up the creaminess of it all, and maybe a little paprika too. It was ok, but certainly nothing to write home about.
Side dishes thoroughly sampled, I moved on to the meat. The hot links had bright red casings that could have used more snap. The meat itself had a great flavor. There was definitely some heat here, but a few slices were much hotter than others. One slice even made my eyes water a little, so there is some issue with consistency. The sweetness of their barbecue sauce helped cool things down some, but it was still really spicy.
I had never had barbecue bologna before, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To my surprise and delight, the bologna was really tasty. It came in nice thick slices - no deli meat here. There was a great crispy char from the pit, and a decent level of smoke too. Unlike the hot links, I preferred the bologna without sauce.
Woody Creek isn't a place you should go out of your way to eat at, but it's probably a far better alternative to the mall food court if you're doing some shopping nearby.
UPDATE (March 30, 2013): If you browse the comments below, you'll see the unnecessary battle between myself and a reader over something as trivial as paprika and its use in cooking. I recently received a picture from one of my friends depicting not one, but two different varieties of Hungarian hot paprika sitting on the grocery store shelves. I enjoy being validated, so I'm sharing that picture here.
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Woody Creek Bar-B-Q
6986 Green Oaks Rd.
Fort Worth, TX 76116
(817) 737-2008
http://www.woodycreekbbq.com
Paprika doesn't have flavor...I have never even been there and can tell you don't know what you are talking about. I have a culinary degree and even people without one know that paprika is the mildest of all peppers, and is used mainly for asthetics. Its hard to trust a bloggers' opinion that just blogged Kroger. Boredom is a horrible thing.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I posted a review of Kroger on Yelp.com, not my blog. I'm pretty sure there's a difference.
DeleteSecond, paprika comes in a whole host of different varieties, ranging from mild to hot (e.g. Spanish picante paprika). It also varies in terms of sweetness. While it's true that paprika sprinkled on top of a dish is mostly just garnish, heating paprika in a little oil greatly increases its flavor.
Third, even a mild pepper can enhance something very bland, as would have been the case with the potato salad I ate here.
Finally, I'm glad to see you're putting your culinary degree to good use.
Again, paprika is MAINLY used for asthetics, unless from Hungary, and is never heated up in oil before going into potato salad or else it will mess with the consistancy, even if a little. Annoyed with all the "know it alls" I have encountered in my culinary venture I have actually called about the validity of some amature and non profit critiquing.. Woody Creek uses paprika in their potato salad, for asthetics. And thank you...what degree does it take to have an opinion for everyone else's work?
ReplyDeleteLook, I'm not trying to make a big deal out of paprika here. Frankly, I have better things to do with my time.
DeleteAll I know is, if there was paprika in that potato salad, there definitely wasn't enough to be visible, much less have any effect on its overall taste.
You're right, lots of Krogers and Office buildings out there. In your next critique... If you want to publicly display your opinion about something like paprika, (whether it be yelp, blog, tweet, or a cardboard sign) be prepared to make a big deal out of it....BBQ fiend. That is what you sign up for when becoming part of a social network. Why this particular "blog" rubbed me so wrong I don't know. But eating a lot of food, doesn't make you an expert, and frankly, Im tired of people thinking it does. Come try my restaurant....
ReplyDeleteAt no point did I claim to be an expert on food or anything else, so I'm not sure where you got that from. I'm blogging about my experiences eating barbecue at various places, and giving my opinion about the food, service, atmosphere, etc. That's exactly what it is - an opinion. If you disagree with my opinion, that's your right. You're free to put paprika, cinnamon, ground up crickets, or whatever you want in your potato salad.
DeleteOn a side note, I might have to see if there is any way to add a spell-check feature to the comments portion of my blog.
1. "asthetics" = aesthetics
2. "consistancy" = consistency
3. "amature" = amateur
I guess that still won't help with punctuation errors or bad grammar though. Apparently a high school diploma isn't a prerequisite for a culinary degree.
HA! Anyway out you can take buddy. You went to a lot of trouble to try and insult me on something I care nothing about. And no, spelling isn't a prerequisite of owning 4 restaurants. Or blogging. My bank account doesn't care how I spell. Go back to your hobby, or pay more attention to the other favorite thing you have. I find that people who are critics, can't do anything on their own.
DeleteJust to make sure we're clear, there have been plenty of insults coming from your end of the aisle too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've found enough success in the restaurant business to flaunt it on random blogs. You never did tell me the name of your restaurant, which I'd be more than happy to try out.
Oh we are clear. And I am equally glad that you have had so much success with your opinion to flaunt it on the internet. And real critics already come to my restaurants...to eat.
ReplyDeleteI assumed when you said, "Come try my restaurant," you were serious. I guess not. Oh well, that works for me too.
Delete